A Night to Dye For
by RedSky18
Summary: Of all the family members to take her out somewhere, it just had to be Eva and Rudolf. Natsuhi knew she should've declined, but it was already too late. While the two siblings seemed to be enjoying themselves, she certainly wasn't. But would she eventually be able to? Probably not.
1. Chapter 1

Sometimes we make choices we know we'll regret. It's part of the cruel thing called "life".

A/N: This takes place very soon after Natsuhi marries into the family.

* * *

"Absolutely not." Krauss deadpanned. He couldn't believe that he, Rudolph, would even _consider_ asking what he just had.

"Aw, come on, Aniki. Natsuhi-neesan could use some time off this island, considering her recent circumstances, and you're too busy helping Father out with his business fiascos. Besides, don't you think she needs to get to know her in laws a bit better, too?" He added a wink with that comment.

"Absolutely not." Krauss repeated, "You really expect me to believe that's your reason for wanting to take my wife out?"

"Heh, well excuse me for wanting to take such a pretty lady out and show her a good time."

Krauss immediately glared at his younger brother, ready to put him in his place, but another voice rang from the couch. He knew it wasn't Rosa, due to obvious reasons, but also because she was sound asleep. Which left only one candidate.

"Calm down, Nii-san. I'll go with them. That's a good compromise, isn't it?" Eva smirked. Krauss saw her expression as one that seemed to say, 'look at how calm and collected I remained while also bringing forth a solution. Qualities that are quite fitting for the future head, right?'

The whole scenario just irked him more, "That's hardly a compromise at all. For all I know, you'll just make her cry and then she'll have even more negative feelings towards this family. Not to mention Rudolph will try and get her into bed."

"Aww, Aniki," Rudolph chuckled, "I wouldn't go so low as to try and sleep with my newly wedded brother's wife."

"Ah, but you'd still try to do everything before, wouldn't you?" Eva laughed, closing the book on martial arts she'd been reading. Rudolph looked at her with a face that said ' _not helping_ ' to which she just grinned even more.

Krauss refused again. Did they really think he'd just agree to the two of _them_ taking her out to do who knows what? It was evident that Natsuhi was already uncomfortable with this family, and for understandable reasons. He didn't need Rudolf and Eva making the situation any worse. Yet, he should've known they wouldn't just give up and take 'no' for an answer, because Eva spoke again,

"Come on. Where's the harm in us taking her out? As you said, given the circumstances, she's not exactly comfortable with any of us, so this will be a good opportunity to change that. Also, staying cooped up on this island is probably one of the worst things you could do to her right now."

Krauss looked baffled as he processed what she had said, "...And just what do you mean by that?" Instead of getting a response from his sister, their brother stepped in again,

"Think about it, Aniki. We ourselves aren't exactly fond of being on this island for too long. But we tend to be able to go out whenever we want. Natsuhi-neesan probably feels like she shouldn't go anywhere without you." Like a tag team, Eva picked up where he left off,

"Wouldn't you say she feels trapped here? And given the whole reason for the marriage in the first place, she probably really feels like a bird in a cage right now."

The eldest sibling was taken aback. He hadn't thought of that possibility. He had been trying to treat her with care and kindness since she first arrived, even though he had the feeling that she wasn't very accepting of it. Perhaps being on an island with no one to talk to except basically strangers _was_ part of the reason.

Despite all their reasoning though, he didn't like the idea of his younger sister and brother pointing that out to him. It made him feel inferior to say the least. So rather than just surrendering like that, he decided to try and keep some of his pride. He brought his hand up to his head as if he had a headache and spoke, quietly at first as if talking to himself, but still loud enough for both of them to hear,

"Perhaps I should take her somewhere sometime...Traveling would be good for her." ' _Yes_ ' he thought, ' _That sounds good._ ' Satisfied with his words, he brought his hand back down and spoke more loudly, looking at both of them, "Nevertheless, I am busy helping Father with business, and I can't take her anywhere anytime soon. However, it would be good for her to get off of Rokkenjima and into the city at least for a night."

Eva scoffed at him. She hated when he got that tone in his voice. It was that tone he got when he was trying to sound smart, like he was fit to be the future head. He was speaking as if he was the one who had suggested the plan. But she chose to keep any biting remarks to herself, knowing arguing would take them all back to square one. She glanced at Rudolf, sure they had convinced their brother to let them do it. However, the younger brother asked for confirmation,

"So...? Can we take her out?"

It was a simple question. But Krauss remained silent at first, as if still thinking about it before straightening his posture and speaking clearly,

"...Yes. But I want to know where you all are and when. I want to know what hotel you're staying at so I can call and check up."

The two younger siblings glanced at each other in silence with puzzled expressions. Rudolf just shrugged, grinning a bit as if he knew this would happen, while Eva voiced her thoughts,

"What are you, her _mom_?"

The question was meant to knock him down, but he just replied, unfazed by her sneering voice,

"No. I'm her _husband_ , and of course I'm going to want to know what's going on while she's with my brother who gets around and my sister who enjoys making others feel beneath her."

Rudolf just laughed, saying something along the lines of " _I only get around where I can_ " while Eva appeared offended by her brother's accusation. He was right though. She took pride in the fact but she would never admit to it, because that would let him know he was right. And she can't have that, oh no. Krauss will crumble before her one day, and to make sure that day arrives, she must do everything she can to make him always think he's wrong. He'll-

"Alright, well. How long can we keep her for?" Rudolf spoke again. Krauss glared at his brother's choice of words before answering,

"One night."

" _One night_?" Rudolf and Eva both repeated, exasperated. Did he really expect one night to be enough? No. They knew he thought it was too much.

"Come on, Aniki," Rudolf decided to try and smooth talk him in his Rudolf way. It never worked though. "Don't you trust us?"

"...No. Honestly, I feel one full night is pushing it. But I'll allow you two to take her out."

"Ohh, you'll ' _allow_ ' us to..." Eva mumbled under her breath, annoyed. Krauss looked towards her, but chose to be the 'better' person and ignored her comment. Rudolf's voice rang out again,

" _One night_ is too much? Come on, Aniki. What could we possibly do in one night?"

"What couldn't you do is more the question."

Rudolf shrugged and chuckled, "Fair enough."

"One night. No more. And this decision still isn't final. I have to make sure Natsuhi herself is comfortable with it. I presume you wanted it to be a night soon? That's quite short notice. I'll go ask her about it right now."

As the eldest Ushiromiya left the parlor, Eva complained,

"I can't believe the nerve of him. We offer to take _his_ wife out, and he only gives us one night? And even that's too much? Who does he think he is?"

"Well," the younger brother snickered, knowing this would earn him a death glare, but proceeded nonetheless, "the future head?" And, exactly as he had anticipated, he received two daggers staring his way. He held up his hands in resignation and quickly changed the subject,

"Anyway, we should just be glad he agreed to it at all. One night is better than no night, I guess."

"...Tch. I suppose. It just ticks me off when Nii-san acts like he gets to have the final say in everything. He'll probably try and talk Natsuhi-neesan out of it before she even has a chance to consider it."

"Well, if he does, we can just find her and ask her ourselves. If she only hears the offer from Aniki, no doubt she'll be suspicious, right?"

"You idiot. She'll be suspicious no matter who she hears it from."

With all the talking that had been taking place, the youngest sibling had been shuffling in her sleep, though not enough to draw any attention to her. But she was starting to fully wake up into the world of the living and had overheard her older siblings discussing taking their new family member out. She sat up and asked, still in a sleepy state, rubbing her eyes,

"Are you two taking Natsuhi-neesan out? Can I go too?"

Eva and Rudolf stopped their bickering and looked at their younger sister, whom they had forgotten had been sleeping on the couch the whole time. Eva just gave a displeased sound. Rosa looked like such a child right then. So unfitting for a member of the Ushiromiya family. How old was she now? She held back any biting remarks though, seeing as the girl has just woken up.

Rudolf also seemed a bit agitated, the tension from previous conversations not helping. However, he pulled a smile and answered her question with a question of his own,

"...Hey, Rosa. Finally awake, huh? Well, it is like three. So...why do you wanna go with us?"

Having woken up a bit more, Rosa could tell neither of them were very pleased with her request. She also didn't let the subtle belittling from her brother go unnoticed. However, she figured she may as well continue,

"Well, I think I heard all of you talking about taking her out so everyone can get to know each other better, and well...I'd like to get to know her more too..."

Rudolf and Eva listened to the timid words of their little sister, feeling a bit guilty to how they reacted. It was such an innocent request. However, they didn't want to have to supervise her when they were already going to have to take care of Natsuhi so as to not have Krauss get upset. Though they both knew he'd find fault in whatever they did. Rudolf walked over and roughly patted her head,

"Aww, Rosa. The thing is: the way you want to get to know her is a little different from the way we- well, _I_ want to get to know her." He quickly ducked out of the way of an incoming projectile. He looked at what had been used as the bullet and saw a martial arts book on the ground. He looked back at Eva who still had her hand out from the throwing gesture,

"This is why when we stay at a hotel, she and I will be sharing a room while you can sleep out in the hallway for all I care."

"How cold." Rudolf laughed, standing up again, "And what if she doesn't want to share a room with either of us?"

"First of all, it's obvious as to why she wouldn't want to share one with you, even if we were to get a room all three of us could share. Second of all, if we were to get separate rooms for all of us, that would be a waste of money." She turned to her sister to give her a better reason as to why she couldn't go,

"Basically, Rosa. There won't be room for you. We're going to be getting two rooms for two people each. Natushi-neesan would room with me, and you wouldn't want to room with Rudolf, as I'm sure he'll end up picking up some girl from somewhere for the night."

Rosa, while visibly disappointed, seemed to accept that answer. She knew trying to push it would get her nowhere, and just replied with a meek, "okay."

"Ah, so I _won't_ have to sleep in the hallway?" Rudolf grinned, not at all even trying to deny his sister's accusation nor show any sorrow for his other one.

"Only because I don't want management waking us up because there was a moron loitering in the hall."

Rudolf shrugged, picking up the book that had almost knocked him out moments before. He handed it to Eva, "Y'know, this book on martial arts seemed to fail quite a bit in what it's trying to teach."

The older Ushiromiya snatched it from him and just spat, "Next time, it'll be my foot. And trust me, I won't miss."

—

She had just wanted to stare out the window, unbothered. Watch the clouds move, the seagulls fly... She hadn't prepared herself for conversation with anyone, let alone her newly wed husband. She was never prepared to converse with him. It always turned out to just be one sided most of the time anyway. Him just offering cheap words of kindness and her responding with automatic and generic words of gratitude. That was why she was so taken aback by what he had just mentioned.

"...I'm sorry. What did you say?"

Her husband sighed, appearing annoyed by the fact that he had to repeat his words, but his voice also had a hint of understanding. He had been puzzled by the suggestion in the beginning himself after all,

"Rudolf and Eva have offered to take you off the island for a night. They said it would be nice for you to get to know each other more." He waited for her response, expecting one right away. After all, it was a 'yes' or 'no' question. But he knew it wasn't that simple. He had been against it at first and knew she was probably having similar thoughts. Maybe more.

She kept silent, not making any eye contact. She appeared to be deep in thought, which she was. Why would they want to take her out? So suddenly too? She figured Rudolf's motives, to which she didn't like the idea of at _all_. But why would Eva agree to it? No matter her reasons, she knew it couldn't end well.

She hadn't known the Ushiromiyas for very long, but from the interactions she _had_ had with them, she didn't care for any of them. Krauss tried to be kind to her, but for some reason, she found it unpleasant. Eva was always dropping snide remarks, and Rudolf wasn't subtle at all with his flirting. The only one who didn't make her feel incredibly uncomfortable was Rosa, and even then they hadn't spoken much.

"...What about Rosa-san?"

Krauss' eyes widened a bit in surprise, "...I don't think she'd go. They didn't say anything about her."

"...And what about you?"

"I'm busy helping Father with business. It's my job as the next head."

If Natsuhi was having second thoughts before, she was having third ones now. If she agreed to the offer, she'd not only be alone with two members of the family she was most uncomfortable with, but also with no one who would either defend her or make her feel at least a little more at ease.

The more she thought about it, the more she realized there was just no questioning what her answer should be. As she was about to decline the offer, Krauss spoke again,

"I understand this is very sudden, and that it's, well...Rudolf and Eva. But I told them only one night, and that I want to know the hotel so I can call and know what's going on." Silence fell between them before he continued, "...The final decision is up to you, and I won't ridicule you for either choice. It's just that I know you must feel kind of... trapped here, what with recent events and whatnot..." He rubbed the back of his neck with his hand and averted his eyes from her, "And I'll be too busy to take you anywhere myself anytime soon. I think it would be good for you to get off the island for at least a night."

Natsuhi was speechless, not that she had much to say before. She didn't think her husband would be able to figure out she felt quite like that. And even if he did, she didn't think he'd ever acknowledge it. She'd usually dismiss his words as forced and fake, but his body language made it evident that his worry for her well being was at least genuine.

That warmed her heart a bit and she smiled for the first time in what felt like months. Albeit, it was a very faint smile. She, herself, wasn't aware of it. Still. Rudolf and Eva? Though all her other doubts had withered down, the main one was still there.

"...I would like to go somewhere in the city for a night. But...with Eva-san and Rudolf-san?"

Krauss nodded his head, aware that she was still unsure simply because of who she'd be with, "I understand how you must feel. But they...Well, they're very...How to say...?" He took a breath, pondering what to say. When he couldn't think of anything great, he just settled on the cliche line of, "They're not that bad once you get to know them."

Natsuhi would've found the scene comical if she weren't the one in the situation. However, since she _was_ in it, she found it difficult to laugh. Krauss added another set of words to the conversation,

"Also, as I said: I'll be sure to call every now and then to check up. And if they do anything to upset you, you can always call here. If you end up having a horrible time, I'll go get you and bring you back."

"...What about helping Father?"

"If you're truly not enjoying yourself, I think Father can manage on his own long enough for me to go get you."

Natsuhi was silent. Those words made her feel as if he were actually her husband. More than just on paper. He was being very considerate of her, and for once, she didn't find it unpleasant. In fact, it felt somewhat nice.

She went back to stare out the window. Watching the clouds move and the seagulls fly. This was scenery she'd seen every day since she'd arrived. It would be the same scenery she would see for days to come. Who knew when she'd get another chance to get off the island? And she'd already been told she could come back if things didn't go well. Continuing to look out the window, she didn't take her eyes off the seagulls flying free, away from the island,

"...Alright. I'll go."

—

"Thanks, Genji-san." Eva told the servant as he finished loading their suitcases onto the boat. He silently bowed before standing up straight again,

"Is there anything else I might assist you with?"

"Nah, I think we're all good now." Rudolf stood from where he had been sitting on the dock. He stretched his arms high above his head, Thanks, Genji-san."

Genji simply bowed again and started heading back towards the mansion. While Eva and Rudolf seemed ready to go, Natsuhi was, naturally, having second thoughts (or would it be fourth?). She kept brushing her hair behind her ear as she looked anyway but the other people there.

Krauss was originally going to come and see them off, but just as they were about to leave the mansion, Kinzo had demanded Krauss to come help him with something. He quickly apologized and said his goodbye there before hurrying to where he needed to be.

Disregarding Genji, Natsuhi hadn't mentally prepared herself to be alone with the two of them that soon. As a result, she was silent for the whole walk to the boat minus a whispered ' _thank you_ ' to Genji a couple of times.

' _Am I sure about this? I mean, I'm not, but I can't just tell them 'never mind', can I? That would be inconsiderate to them and Genji would have to do more work, and then they'd get mad at me, telling me how much time I wasted for everyone and-_ '

"Oi, Natsuhi-neesan?" Rudolf waved his hand in front of her face, pulling her out of her thoughts. Surprised by the sudden voice, Natsuhi took a quick step back before responding,

"Eh...ah...yes?"

"You seemed to zone out there. Are you ready to go?" Rudolf laughed, holding out his hand. Natsuhi glanced at his outstretched hand then at the boat. Eva was already boarding the vehicle. She looked back to his hand. Never mind being able to walk to and on the boat herself. This was _Rudolf_. She knew what he was like from first hand experiences, as well as stories told at lunches and dinners.

He tries to woo women first by being kind and relaxed. Krauss had told her to be careful around Rudolf and to not give in to any of his tricks. He also said that if Rudolf tried to make any inappropriate moves, Eva would put him in his place.

But Eva was already on the boat not even sparing a glance in their direction. Natsuhi sighed. Was she already doomed? Though she supposed just offering her a hand wasn't anything to worry about. It was just a very gentlemen thing to do and she'd be rude not to accept it.

Coming to that conclusion, she reached out and took his hand. He smiled and turned around, leading her to the boat. She stiffened as she felt his thumb gently run up and down her hand. She grimaced. Not even off the island, and Rudolf was already doing what she'd hoped he wouldn't.

Rudolf helped her onto the boat and she was relieved to have her hand back. She quickly headed to the inside of the boat to where Eva was. She wasn't exactly fond of the idea of being alone with her, but it beat being alone with Rudolf right then. She knew he'd be there within a few minutes too, but she was thankful he stopped to chat with the boat driver.

As she entered, she saw Eva sitting by a window seat, reading a book. She looked around and decided to sit by another window a few seats away. Truthfully, she wanted to sit even further away, but she didn't want to make it obvious how uncomfortable she was. It would be rude to them and it would probably give Eva some sick pleasure, knowing how superior she was. Before she could even try to get comfortable, Eva spoke, not even bothering to look up from her book,

"Come on, Natsuhi-neesan. Is that really smart?"

"...What?"

"No matter how far away you try to sit, Rudolf will sit next to you if there's an empty seat. Now, if you don't want that to happen, you may as well sit next to me. You'll have to come here though. I'm not moving."

Natsuhi was stuck between feeling embarrassed and angry. Nevertheless, those emotions quickly dissipated when she heard Rudolf's voice approaching closer. She stood up and hurried to Eva's seat, and she could've sworn she saw a smirk on her face. Though slightly annoyed with the woman next to her, Natushi was relieved when she saw Rudolf walk in and knew she wouldn't be sitting next to him. ...Or at least not _directly_ next to him, as he made his way to sit in the pair of seats next to theirs. She internally groaned. Natsuhi almost wondered if the two had planned this all out beforehand, because there she was, stuck between both of them, with the obligation to not move.

"Hello, ladies. _Aneki_." Rudolf started, receiving a glare from his sister, "I told the driver we're ready, and he said the boat should be moving momentarily."

' _So this is it, isn't it?_ ' Natsuhi thought, feeling her nerves rise again, ' _It's not too late, is it? I could still run off the boat and say 'sorry, never mind' right?_ ' Just as she was really considering doing just that, the motor started, kicking the boat into motion. ' _Well, there goes that chance..._ ' Natsuhi sighed. There was no going back now. Now all she could do was hope the trip wasn't too horrible. That hope quickly led to disappointment, however, when she tried to be the first to strike up a conversation for once,

"...So, what are we going to do first?" She saw Rudolf move as if he were about to answer, when Eva's voice rang out, with an annoyed tone,

"What do you think? We have to check into the hotel, don't we?" she flipped a page of her book. Natsuhi felt herself tense even more than she already was, if that was even possible. Why was she being treated like this when they were the ones who invited her out in the first place?

"Gee, way to be civil, Aneki." Rudolf laughed, waving his hand in the air, shaking his head. Eva ignored him and went on reading the words on the pages before her. Natsuhi wondered if Eva was just in a bad mood because she was trying to read her book, and couldn't concentrate with people talking. Suddenly, she felt her heart sink as realization set in. Eva was smart to bring a book. It gave her something to do. She was sure Rudolf had probably brought cigarettes and would spend a good amount of his time smoking. What about her? She brought nothing for the trip on the boat. And it seemed quite evident that small talk was going to be next to impossible for her to do. And it wasn't exactly a short ride either.

Catching on that Eva didn't want anyone talking at the moment, Rudolf lit a cigarette and started to smoke. It was then that Eva snapped her book closed and looked to her brother, death gleaming in her eyes,

"What the hell, Rudolf?! You know I can't stand those things! If you're going to smoke, do it outside!"

Rudolf calmly puffed another ring of smoke, "And what are you going to do if I don't? Throw your book at me again?"

Eva's voice dropped to a dangerous tone, "Don't forget what I said last time. You want to see what I learned from that book?"

"Hopefully how to actually hit your target when it's only a couple feet away?" Rudolf taunted before running to the outside of the boat.

 _'It really is going to be a long ride...'_

* * *

I personally really wanna know more about how all the adults acted around each other when they were younger. Though it was probably a lot of yelling and tears, honestly. But that's part of what makes Umineko great :D


	2. Chapter 2

You can't hold the key to everything.

* * *

After what felt like years, they finally arrived at a new dock. Natsuhi went to grab her suitcase, but stopped when she saw Eva picking it up. She thought maybe she'd mistaken it for hers. Great. Now Eva was going to get upset at her for pointing out a mistake,

"Um, Eva-san. That's my suit-" she stopped when she saw Eva turning to pick up her own as well.

"Yeah. And?"

"...uh...why are you-"

"Carrying it for you? Don't worry about it." She snapped, walking off the boat, "It's quite heavy. You'd just slow us down."

Natsuhi wasn't sure whether to be thankful or feel offended. Her suitcase wasn't _that_ heavy... And even so, shouldn't Rudolf have been the one to carry two? Speaking of Rudolf, his voice called out from behind her,

"Don't mind her. Think of it as her way of being considerate." He picked up his own suitcase then rubbed the back of his head, recalling his sister's insult at the end, "Er...in an _inconsiderate_ way...Ehehe..." He stopped to hold out his hand like before. She considered pretending not to see his kind gesture and start to walk off the boat, but so far on this trip he _had_ been a lot friendlier than his sister. Natsuhi appreciated that he was being so kind. She hoped she wasn't falling into any type of trap of his... Like before, she took his hand, and he led her off the boat, bidding farewell to the driver. They continued to where Eva was, waiting for their taxi.

"About time you two got off the boat." She still seemed like she was in a bit of a sour mood, but when she looked to Natsuhi, her expression turned into that of a smug one, "See, Natsuhi-neesan? If I had let you carry your suitcase, you'd still be up there." Natushi said nothing, but she seemed to glare a bit and her face had a red tinge to it. Whether from embarrassment or anger, Eva didn't know, nor did she really care. She just relished in the fact that she could bring that expression to her face and often. Her eyes caught sight of said woman's hand in Rudolf's hand,

"Hey, Rudolf?" she said, fake sweetness in her voice. Rudolf and Natsuhi both knew she was about to yell about something. Rudolf was used to it though, while Natsuhi was still learning how to deal with her sister-in-law,

"Yeah? What is it?" Rudolf said, nonchalantly.

"Might I ask why you're holding Natsuhi-neesan's hand? I understand helping her off the boat so she wouldn't fall, but you don't need to still be holding it, right?"

Natsuhi felt her face heat up. She had completely forgotten that her hand was still in his. Before she could pull away, Rudolf laughed again,

"Oh yeah, we forgot to tell you, Aneki," He brought Natsuhi's hand to his lips and lightly kissed it. This did nothing to help the color in her face return to normal, and she felt herself stiffen yet again that day, "We've decided to elope~ Thanks for coming along for the ride. Now if you would kindly leave us you bank information-" His hand released hers as he felt his ear harshly being pulled up and down, "Owowow! Alright alright! It was just a joke!"

"And yet no one's laughing." Eva gave one final tug before letting his poor ear go. His hand went up to massage it, as he glared at the culprit. She ignored him and turned to the other woman in the group, smiling sickly sweet,

"Natsuhi-nessan, if this guy tries anything else, don't be afraid to hit him, alright?" Rudolf looked at her with an expression of fake offense as if to say, ' _this guy?_ ' Natsuhi, however, just sighed. Wasn't it supposed to be Eva's job to protect her from his advances? That was what Krauss had said. Well, she supposed she had a couple of times, though not enough to really reassure her.

"Well, ...it's not really _my_ place to hit him." She muttered quietly to herself. It was a subtle challenge, calling Eva out, but neither of them seemed to catch it. Instead, Rudolf chuckled,

"How kind. You should be more like that, Aneki."

Eva scoffed at her brother's comment, "You mean let men think they can do whatever they want while women remain silent and let them? Dream on. You sound like Nii-san."

"That's not what I meant," Rudolf held his hands up in defense, ready to duck at any moment. She had a suitcase she could swing now, after all. Two, in fact. "I was just saying you should be a bit more lenient before resorting to violence is all."

"I'll never hesitate to knock you out if I feel you deserve it." Eva turned her attention to Natsuhi again, "Natsuhi-neesan, learn to stand up for yourself, alright? It's just Rudolf after all." She snickered before Rudolf cut in,

"Then that means you can also hit Aneki if you want, Natsuhi-neesan~"

He ducked just in time as his sister's foot swung directly for his head. He quickly put some distance between them, noticing their taxi had arrived.

"You keep saying that ' _next time you won't miss_ ' but look at me now."

Natsuhi grinned ever so slightly at the scene in front of her. However, she felt a headache coming on and she had a feeling it wasn't going to go away anytime soon.

—

The ride in the taxi had been silent until Eva and Rudolf started arguing over something yet again. Natsuhi, who was sitting by a window so Eva could sit in the middle to prevent Rudolf from trying anything, rested her forehead against it. She hoped the coolness from it would help relieve her headache, but the bickering of the two next to her made sure that her headache was there to keep her company.

She glanced apologetically at the driver. She wondered how many passengers like this he had to deal with on a regular basis. She closed her eyes thinking about how she still had to deal with those two passengers for the rest of the night. And even after that she wouldn't be free since they'd need to take the trip back to Rokkenjima in the morning. She sighed. Why had she agreed to this again?

When they finally arrived at the hotel and checked in, Natsuhi had learned for the first time that she would be sharing a room with Eva. That did not sit well with her at all.

"Wait...We're not all getting our own rooms?"

"Well, I get my own room if that counts for anything." Rudolf stated, knowing full well that it didn't.

"It would be a waste of money for all three of us to have our own rooms, so rather than three, we're only rooming in two." Eva explained, turning to walk to their rooms. As Natushi begin to follow, it was clear how uncomfortable she was with the arrangements,

"But, Eva-san. I don't-" she stopped dead in her tracks as Eva turned around sharply and looked her directly in the eye,

"Are you paying?"

"What?"

"Are you paying for the rooms?" Eva repeated with more detail. Natsuhi then understood what Eva was getting at. ' _You're not paying so don't complain. Can't you tell how nice of a hotel this is? It's not exactly cheap._ ' Even so, she couldn't shake the feeling that it was not going to turn out well.

"Ah...well, no. It's just that..." Her voice faded out. With Eva? She was sure that would be better than rooming with Rudolf, but would it really? Either way, she was bound to be harassed in some fashion.

"Come _ON_ ," her thoughts were interrupted by said person who was now directly in front on her. Natsuhi flinched at the sudden closeness and quickly took a step backwards. Eva's smirk didn't go unnoticed, "It's nothing to be so _nervous_ about, is it? It's not like I'm Rudolf, right?"

"Ouch, Aneki. That really hurt." Rudolf feigned offense.

"You'll live." Eva began walking again. The other two followed, Natsuhi remaining silent. Yes. It _was_ something to be nervous about. At the mansion, at the end of the day, she could just go in her room, lock the door, and forget about everyone else around her.

Now she wasn't going to be able to block all that out while she slept. Was she even going to be able to sleep? Somehow, she doubted it. If Eva didn't keep her up with snide remarks or whatever, her nerves certainly would. She felt someone tap on her shoulder and turned to see Rudolf. He motioned for her to come closer so he could whisper something to her. Though hesitant, she decided to give in to his wishes and leaned over as they continued to walk,

"Nee, Natsuhi-neesan. Aneki's sure to bite, but not in any fun way. So if you decide you'd rather not be with her tonight, you're always welcome to come over to my room. That is if you don't mind noise. Unless you want to join in on making it, of course~"

Registering the meaning behind his words, Natsuhi's face turned bright red. What did he think he was asking?! Had he no shame?! They had both stopped in the halls, Natsuhi due to utter shock, Rudolf due to wanting to see her reaction.

When she realized they weren't following her anymore, Eva turned around. She looked annoyed until she saw how red Natsuhi's face was,

"...Natsuhi-nesean, are you okay? Your face looks really flushed." She asked, slight confusion in her voice. Upon being asked that, Natsuhi visibly stiffened again and turned slightly with her hand held up to hide her face. Eva raised her eyebrows before looking to see her brother trying to suppress a grin. Immediately connecting the dots, she smiled, an ominous aura around her, and walked towards them,

"Well, I don't know exactly what you two were talking about while I was only feet away," she looked to Rudolf, "but I'm sure that you'd much rather spend that energy on something more productive and helpful." She pushed her own suitcase onto Rudolf, Natsuhi's still in her hand,

"Carry this." She ordered. Not waiting for him to give any words of refusal, she grabbed the wrist of the hand Natsuhi had been using to hide her face and began dragging her far ahead of the third member of the group. Despite all her previous thoughts on the matter, Natsuhi decided, at least for that very moment, that rooming with Eva would, most definitely, be better than rooming with Rudolf.

She just let herself be guided to their room, Rudolf following close behind. Eva, more or less, tossed her in and walked in after her. Rudolf seemed to try and enter as well, trying to smooth things over, but was met with the door slamming in his face. Though, a few seconds later, it opened back up long enough for Eva to grab her suitcase from him just to slam the door in his face again.

Rudolf slouched and rubbed the back of his head, "Alright then... I'll just go to my room then..."

"Alright, Natsuhi-nessan. Which bed do you want?" Eva gestured towards the two options. Natsuhi, having regained her composure, meekly pointed and murmured, "That one." Eva wasted no time in placing Natushi's suitcase by her bed then walking over to her own to do the same.

She seemed agitated. Natsuhi knew it had to do with Rudolf, but figured it was best to not ask about it. She sighed yet again and walked over to her bed. That was when something dawned on her. She looked around, trying to find something before giving up and just asking about it,

"Eva-san."

"Yeah?" Eva responded without turning to face her.

"...Aren't there supposed to be two keys to a room?"

"Yeah."

Okay, the short responses were starting to get on her nerves a bit. The whole trip so far had been horrible. They were the ones who invited her. Couldn't Eva at least _try_ to be a bit nicer?

"...So where's mine?"

"You don't get one."

"...…...I'm sorry?"

"No, no. _I'm_ sorry that you apparently didn't hear me." Eva turned around and took a couple steps forward so as to make sure her words were understood that time, "I _SAID_ , you don't get one."

Natsuhi was taken aback. Why couldn't at least one thing on this trip be simple? Her headache was growing worse by the second, and because of that she didn't bother to hold back the aggravation in her voice,

"And why not?"

"Because," Eva smirked, "We don't want you trying to run away from us and coming here, right? It would be quite troublesome to have to drag you back out."

Natsuhi's eyebrows furrowed and she finally started to snap,

"If I decide I want to come back here, I should be able to whenever I want, _not_ when you two see fit!"

"Ohh, so you _can_ stand up for yourself. How scary!" Eva giggled.

Natsuhi was fuming. She wasn't being taken seriously, and her head was killing her. Not wanting to be steered away from the main topic, she simply held out her hand and demanded Eva to give her a key.

"Aww, that is so cute~" Eva laughed, sarcasm evident, "You want a key so bad? Okay." She reached into her pocket to pull them out. She let them dangle in the other woman's sight before returning them to where they just were, "You'll just have to come take one."

Natsuhi couldn't believe! Of all the things to argue over! She knew she needed to calm down, though. Getting flustered was exactly what Eva wanted. She took a deep breath and relaxed,

"...I'm not fighting you for a key."

"Oh? Could've fooled me. You've been fighting me for one these past few minutes. Just not physically. Though if you do decide to engage in a physical fight with me, let's make sure Rudolf and Nii-san don't find out, okay?~" she held a finger up to her lips to symbolize that they should keep it a secret.

' _That's it!_ ' Natsuhi turned to walk to the phone. She couldn't even stand the thought of being with either of those people anymore. She picked up the phone and begin to dial a number.

"Ah. Who are you calling so suddenly?" Eva went to stand by her. Why couldn't they just leave her alone for a few minutes?

"Krau- ...my husband." She still wasn't used to calling him that, "...He said to call when we got to the hotel." She kept it short and to the point. She didn't give any hint as to why she was actually calling the mansion, so as to not give them any room to sabotage her chances to going back.

"Oh yeah. He did say to call him, didn't he?" Eva gave no sign of leaving her alone to the phone. Instead, she sat on the bed, ready to listen to every word on the one side of the conversation.

Natsuhi tightened her grip on the phone. Why couldn't she just- Someone answered. It was Genji,

"Ah, Genji-san. It's Natsuhi. Could you please put Kr- my husband on the phone?" She heard Eva giggle but just ignored it. A few moments later, Krauss' voice was on the other side of the line.

"Ah, yes. It's me, Natsuhi."

"Oh, Natsuhi. So have you all made it to the hotel then?" He sounded tired. Kinzo must have really been working him...Not a good sign.

"Yes. We arrived not too long ago." How was she going to ask him to come get her without making it too obvious?

"That's good. How are they treating you?"

' _Horribly._ ' That's what she wanted to say, but she had a feeling she shouldn't. Instead, she opted for a generic, "Alright." She was hoping he would be the one to ask her if she wanted him to come get her so she'd only have to answer with a, " _yes, please._ " However, he didn't even hint at it.

So it was up to her to subtly get the point across. Eva just _had_ to be right there, didn't she?

"Um, by the way...Remember what we talked about? ...I would appreciate it very much if you did that-" she stopped as she heard yelling in the background. It sounded like Kinzo's voice, and he sounded furious and very demanding.

"Ahh, yes Father! Right away! Sorry, Natsuhi. I need to go. I'll call later."

"W-wait! Remember what you-" the line went out.

She removed the phone from her ear and stared at it. If she didn't know any better, she'd swear she felt a single tear trickle down her face. She should've known something like this would happen. Dejected, she hung the phone up and prepared herself for the words that were sure to come.

"So, how was Nii-san?" Eva asked, sickly sweet. Natsuhi looked at her. Now she had to mentally prepare herself all over again to spend more time than she wanted with the two. Her only escape route for the time being had been lost. She took a breath,

"...He's fine. Busy helping Father..." Again, she wanted to keep things short. Make sure there was no chance for Eva to start a conversation she didn't want to have.

Whether Eva had been planning on saying something or not, she wasn't able to because there was a knock on the door. What a blessing...Rudolf's voice called out from the other side,

"Oi, are you two done yet? Let's get out of here and go somewhere fun already."

...in disguise. What a blessing in disguise Rudolf was at that very moment. For, at least then, he was only the lesser of two evils.

* * *

And Natsuhi certainly can't hold the key to their room. Because that would be too FAIR. Just got into the family and the ranking system is already showing. How disgraceful.


	3. Chapter 3

People can be real immature sometimes, but that's part of the fun of solving their riddles sometimes. Even though people are the hardest riddles to solve.

* * *

Most of the day was spent, more or less, in the same fashion as the morning. Rudolf and Eva fought over small issues, Rudolf made a few moves on Natushi, and Eva sneered at both of them, especially her. Throughout all of it though, Natsuhi _had_ learned a couple facts about the two that she probably wouldn't have bothered to learn otherwise. Rudolf, for example, had a specific brand of cigarettes he liked to smoke. ...Not much, but it was something. He did also mention liking Western films and wanting to have a final showdown like you see in them one day. ...Or something like that. Eva, on the other hand, apparently enjoyed reading detective novels in her free time. That's why she got annoyed on the boat ride, because she was trying to figure out who the culprit was before the book told her. She also mentioned how she had learned some tricks from them, such as sticking some paper in a door to catch someone in a lie. She joked about how maybe she should try it on one of them one day.

Pointless trivia, but trivia nonetheless. Wasn't the whole reason they wanted to take her out to get to know each other more? Well, she was certainly learning that she really couldn't stand them. Yet at the same time, maybe she was building a bit of a tolerance with them. She still had a headache though. She wondered if they had learned anything about her. Probably not. Maybe the fact that she was easily flustered, which she was not happy about them knowing. Other than that though, she hadn't really shared any information about herself. She did, however, want to go back to the hotel, but she knew they weren't going to let her anytime soon.

Instead, they surprised her with a trip to an expensive looking restaurant. And so, there they were sitting at a round table, evenly spaced from each other.

"What are you getting, Natsuhi-neesan?" Rudolf asked. She quickly scanned the menu, looking for the cheapest meals. When she decided on something, Eva and Rudolf were silent. The sudden silence made her uncomfortable, and she glanced at both of them,

"...What?"

"Natsuhi-nessan... Is that really what you want?" Eva voiced their thoughts. Natsuhi expressed confusion. Now eating couldn't even be simple?

"Ah, we're not trying to make you feel bad, or anything, Natsuhi-neesan." Rudolf spoke next, "It's just, that's like one of the cheapest things on the menu."

Yes, it may have been one of the cheapest meals, but that didn't mean it was _cheap_. And since she couldn't get her own room due to price, the least she could do was order a non expensive meal.

"Yeah, Natsuhi-neesan." Eva chimed in, "Don't worry about the price. We're the ones treating you. Get whatever you'd like." Well, if price apparently didn't matter...

"...My own room."

"Okay, now you get nothing." Eva shot back, Rudolf laughing off to the side. "Your new found sense of humor aside," Eva grabbed the menu out of Natsuhi's hands and glanced it over before reading off some of the choices, not mentioning any of the prices. "So, which dish sounds good to you?" How sly. Natsuhi almost considered saying her original choice. _Almost_. But she decided against it. Defeated, she sighed and chose one of the choices she'd been offered.

"Hoh, that's pretty expensive." Eva smirked, seeing the other woman's face twist in frustration.

"Give it a rest, Aneki." Rudolf cut in, though he had a smirk on his face as well. Natsuhi closed her eyes and touched her forehead. No amount of medicine would cure her headache.

—

"Alright! So, we have one more place to go tonight!~" Rudolf announced as they were walking.

"...So you two already have somewhere in mind?" Natsuhi mumbled.

"Yep! Oh, but this is the one place we're going tonight that we absolutely _can't_ tell Aniki about, okay?" Rudolf held his finger to his lips in a similar manner Eva had before.

"Don't tell her that, Rudolf." Eva lectured, though it was clear how amused she was, "Now she'll just be suspicious and anxious the whole time."

Because it wasn't like she'd been suspicious and anxious all day already. Yet again, she sighed. Honestly, she didn't even care anymore, and she was sure that where ever they were to take her, it wouldn't even as bad as her nerves made her believe. So far, the day had been frustrating, to say the least, but they hadn't taken her anywhere unusual. Yep. Nowhere inappropriate for the Ushiromiya family. Nowhere-...

—

"A **CLUB**!?" Natsuhi yelled in disbelief.

"Oh, what gave it away? The sign or the atmosphere?" Eva mocked. Natsuhi glared.

"Don't worry, Natsuhi-neesan. I come here all the time." Rudolf said, lighting a cigarette, only for Eva to snatch it out of his hands and throw it in the trash. Well, she wasn't really surprised at all that Rudolf was a regular at such a place, but she would have thought that Eva, who cared so much about the honor of the Ushiromiya family, would never be caught dead at one.

"There is no way I'm going in there. And you two shouldn't either." Natsuhi pointed to the club and then them to emphasize her point.

"What are you now, our mom?" Eva asked with a slight grin, crossing her arms.

"Come on, Natsuhi-neesan. Don't be such a killjoy after all the fun we've been having today~" Rudolf laughed, only to stop dead at the sound of Natsuhi's snapping voice,

"You mean all the fun _you two_ have been having! Now, I don't know if you've realized or not, but I haven't exactly been having a great time! I just want to go back to the hotel and relax. Kr- my hus- Krauss-san! Is probably going to be expecting a call soon, so I, at least, really should head back! Eva-san, please give me a key to the hotel room." Her statement was firm as she held out her hand expectantly. There was silence between all of them. While Rudolf seemed ready to apologize and let her go, Eva, of course, wasn't so willing to give in. Arms still crossed, she raised an eyebrow, sly grin on her face,

"...Hoh? And are you sure that's _really_ what you want to do? Go back to the hotel room and sulk for the rest of the night? Well, that's just wonderful. Who knows when, or even _if_ , you'll ever get another chance to let loose and party like normal people our age. And since Nii-san doesn't seem keen on letting us take you out again after tonight, I'm willing to bet it'll be never." Her tone was challenging. She awaited the other's response which came almost immediately.

"And for good reason! Honestly, I'm surprised he agreed to letting you two take me out _this_ time!" Eva's grin dropped and her arms fell to her sides as she took a step forward,

"Oh, so you're just going to do whatever Nii-san tells you to? Where's your free will?"

"If you _must_ know, I actually _did_ make the final decision, which let me say so far, has been the _WORST_ one I've ever made in my life!"

"Hah! Now, that was a comment quite uncharacteristic of you! Or is it that now you're finally comfortable enough with us to show your true colors?"

"You're one to talk about true colors! What's the eldest daughter of the 'great Ushiromiya family' doing at a nighttime club? Shouldn't you be studying, like you always say is important?"

"Just because I'm a member of the Ushiromiya family doesn't mean I can't get away from it and have fun every now and then! I build up stress that needs to be relieved too!"

People were starting to stare and Rudolf tried to step in between the two of them,

"Ladies, ladies! You're making a sce-" Eva shoved him out of the way, not breaking eye contact with the woman who was now right in front of her,

"Look! We're just trying to help you! Nii-san would _never_ take you out to somewhere as full of activity as this!" Her hand flew, gesturing to the club that had caused the argument in the first place.

"You keep talking about Krauss-san and how controlling he is, but you're being a hypocrite! You yell at me for doing what he says, but then expect me to _obey you_?! Stop trying to manipulate me! Just give me a key so that all of us can enjoy the night however we want!"

Silence hung around all of them yet again. It was just an overall uncomfortable atmosphere, especially for Rudolf, who wasn't even part of the fight. After a few more moments, Eva sighed deeply, relaxing her body back to normal. Natsuhi did the same, but still had a defensive stance. Eva sighed again and spoke much more calmly,

"...Alright, Natsuhi-neesan. You want a key, right?" She pulled them out of her pocket and held them up for the other to see, "Take it."

Natsuhi gave her a disbelieving look. Did that unsightly performance really win her the key (quite literally) to her freedom? She slowly reached out to take one. Perhaps Eva really had planned on letting her take a key and go. No one could really know for sure, not even herself. But as soon as Natsuhi's hand grazed the item, Eva got a mischievous glint in her eye and quickly pulled them away. She let them dangle as she had earlier that day and challenged,

"Come take it, then. Come on, Rudolf!" She dashed straight into the club. After a moment of utter shock, Rudolf laughed and ran in after her,

"Come on, Natsuhi-neesan! Can you keep up with us?"

Furious and at a loss for words, Natsuhi couldn't think clearly as she chased after them. If thoughts could kill...

—

Natsuhi could _not_ understand, _for the life of her_ , how she had lost sight of both of them when she had gone in right after them. It was like they had disappeared the moment they entered place. And so, there she was, searching for them even after 20 minutes. There were people everywhere, and the dim lighting and loud music were not helping. The whole atmosphere made her want to leave and never look back. There hadn't even been anyone at the entrance to ask for ID, which definitely played a key factor in them being able to get away from her so quickly.

Speaking of 'key', that was the whole reason she was there. To get that damn key so she could go back to the hotel and just sleep through the rest of the nightmare. Though, even if she were to get the key, she probably wouldn't be able to go back anymore, since it was dark outside. She wasn't about to walk through an unknown city, alone in the dark. She clenched her hands into fists. Those two really knew how to keep her in situations she didn't want to be in. She figured they must've been hiding in the shadows, laughing at her failed attempts to find them.

She had been staying close to the walls, so as to not draw any attention to her. She sighed at the realization that her chances of finding them were dwindling. Suddenly, someone had come up and wrapped their arms around her waist from behind. Panic rose at such an alarming rate, she felt her heart would jump out of her chest. Great. She was going to die that night. As she started to struggle, the person spoke in her ear, loud enough so she could hear him over the music. She was relieved(?) to hear it was Rudolf's voice.

"Hey, pretty lady. Come here often?"

"R-Rudolf-san!?" she turned herself around in his arms. Even though she wasn't free of his grasp, she felt a bit better being able to see his face. She kept her hands on his shoulders to keep him from getting _too_ close though, "What are you doing!? I've been looking everywhere for you and Eva-san! Where is she?"

"I've just been enjoying myself. Though, it's a shame. The place seems a bit dead tonight. Wish we could've brought you on a holiday or something."

 _THIS_ was ' _DEAD_ '? Whatever. She repeated her question concerning his sister's whereabouts.

"You'd rather spend time with Aneki than with me? I'm hurt, Natushi-neesan. This night was supposed to be for all of us to get to know each other better, but so far I feel like you've been talking more with Aneki, than with me. ...Though it has been mostly fighting."

"Where is Eva-san!?" she yelled for what she was certain would not be the last time.

Rudolf was silent as he seemed to be registering what he'd been asked. Then he finally gave her an answer, though not a helpful one.

"Ohh, Aneki? I have no idea. But enough about her. Natsuhi-neesan, you look a little tense. Why not dance with me?" He leaned a bit closer and Natushi noticed his eyes were a bit glazed and his breath reeked of alcohol. Just wonderful. An intoxicated Rudolf was bound to be even worse than sober Rudolf. ...Then again, he didn't seem _too_ awfully different, for the most part. Just even less respectful of personal space. Well, it _was_ Rudolf. He probably could hold his liquor pretty well. But finding him had obviously done her no good, and she wasn't really counting on him to come through and help her find the other member of their little group. ...Nor did she want to do any type of 'dance' with him.

"No thanks, Rudolf-san. I really need to find Eva-san, and I'd appreciate it if you'd look around for her, as well." Her words seemed to fall on deaf ears, however, as Rudolf's expression didn't change in the slightest. Instead, he seemed to hear what he wanted to, or maybe he had just ignored her and pretended she'd said something different.

"Great~ Don't worry, I'll lead." He moved his hand, keeping one on her waist, to grab hers and lead her in an awkward dance.

"W-wait, Rudolf-san! I said n-" she was spun every direction before being pulled in close and dipped, Rudolf's eyes staring into hers. Her face was flushed and she stopped struggling. Despite how she acted, that was kind of fun. ...Now she knew she _REALLY_ had to get out of there. Rudolf's eyes left hers as he glanced up, off into the distance,

"...Ah, there's Aneki."

Upon hearing those words, Natsuhi immediately pushed Rudolf to pull her up and finally escaped his hold.

"Where?" She looked in the direction he had and saw her target. Not waiting for the color of her face or heartbeat to return to normal, she stomped over to where the other woman was, Rudolf following behind. Was it good or bad that all three of them were about to be reunited?

Eva was sitting alone in a booth, one leg resting against the edge of the table. She raised her glass to her lips to take a sip when she noticed the two approaching her. She smiled dumbly, and waved happily to them,

"Natushi-neeesaan~~ Rudooolf~ Where've you been?"

Natsuhi stopped abruptly. She stared at her before her eyes rested on the glass filled with liquid.

"...Eva-san...Are...Are you drunk?" She knew that someone didn't necessarily have to be drunk to react in such a way, but that was such a 180 for Eva, that she didn't know what else to assume, "You've only been here for about half an hour!"

"Noo, I'm not drunk~ I've only had two drinks...or was it three?" Eva laughed, "Anyway, if I am drunk, it's probably because Rudolf put something in my drink. ...Stupid, little bastard."

"You're just a lightweight." Rudolf joked.

This could not be happening. This could **NOT**. **BE**. **HAPPENING**. Rudolf was buzzed and Eva was drunk. All she had wanted was to go back to the hotel and sleep. How did she end up here? Oh, right. Because of the key. She sighed. Maybe if she beat Eva's challenge and got a key she'd be able to talk them into leaving. It was a longshot, but either way she'd need a key before she could leave.

"...Well, Eva-san. Since you seem to be in such a good mood, would you possibly be willing to give me a key?" She held out her hand, hopeful that, in her intoxicated state, Eva wouldn't be difficult about it. That hope, just like all the hope she'd felt previously throughout the day, quickly died though.

"Keyy?" Eva questioned, her head falling limply to the side, "What key?"

"...The one to the hotel room..."

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

Natushi wasn't sure if Eva was just messing with her or if she really had forgotten. If it were the latter though, she might be able to work it to her advantage. Getting an idea in her head, she changed her tactic.

"...Eva-san. I wonder... Could you reach into your pocket and take out what's in it? I lent you something earlier, and I need it back."

"Haah? What could you possibly lend to me?" Eva muttered. Natsuhi thought she'd have to persuade her more but was surprised when she saw her reaching into her pocket. However, all she pulled out was her wallet.

"Ohh, I see what you're doing. You're trying to steal my money! Thought you could pull a fast one on me, didn't you?" Natsuhi took a deep breath and Rudolf snickered behind her, taking another sip of his drink then lighting a cigarette. If he could smoke without Eva attacking him, then she really was drunk. She really needed patience to deal with these people.

"Eva-san...Your. _Other_. Pocket."

"Oh, yeeah... There are two of those, huh?"

If the circumstances had been different, Natsuhi might've laughed. But they weren't, so she continued to be annoyed. When Eva pulled out the keys, Natsuhi got excited and yelled, "That's it!" She thought the first step of _Operation: Get Back to the Hotel_ had been successful, but Eva made no move to hand them over. Instead, she stared at them for a moment,

"...Ohhhh... _THIS_ key..." she muttered as she seemed to be regaining her memory. Rather than handing one to Natsuhi, she grinned, "How sly, Natsuhi-neesaan~ Trying to take advantage of me like that! I didn't think you were capable of such a thing!" she moved to return the keys to her pocket. Realizing her plan wasn't going to work, Natsuhi grew desperate and started trying to take them by force. She slid into the booth to try and grab them.

"Hey! Wai-! What do you think you're doing?!" Eva complained, holding the keys high above her head, out of reach.

"What do you think _you're_ doing?! You should've just given me a key at the start!" Natsuhi climbed over her, stretching her arm out to try and claim her prize.

Rudolf, who had been calmly smoking the whole time, shook his head at the scene before him. He blew out one last cloud of smoke before tossing the cigarette in the ashtray on the table. Taking advantage of the two being distracted, he slid into the booth as well which caused Natsuhi to cease her attack and look at him. Eva took the chance to shove the keys back into her pocket causing Natsuhi to look back to her just to be met with a triumphant grin.

This was ridiculous. Defeated, she sighed heavily and sat properly in the seat. Now what? Now...what...? After cooling down enough to take in her surroundings, she _really_ took in her surroundings. Eva to her left, Rudolf to her right, a table directly in front...There was no way it was going to go well. And they weren't just sitting next to her either; they were _RIGHT_ next to her. Rudolf was no surprise really, but Eva...Well, in her current state, she was really no surprise either.

"Hey, Natsuhi-neesan." she heard Rudolf call and turned to him, stiffening when his arm came down to rest around her shoulders. This was where everything was about to go downhill from the bottom of the hills it had already gone down.

"...Yes?" Her tone was very cautious.

"You seem like you're in a pretty bad mood, so how about playing some games or something?"

Her eyebrows furrowed. ' _Games_ '? Exactly what kind of ' _games'_ did he have in mind? It certainly couldn't be anything _fun_.

"No tha-"

"Ohh, yeah yeah! Let's play some games!~" Eva took another huge gulp of her beverage. Natsuhi tried to yell at her,

"E-Eva-san-!" but her voice cracked and her body jolted as she felt another arm wrap around her waist from behind. It wasn't Rudolf's though. Face burning red, Natsuhi tried to process what was going on. Okay, she _DEFINITELY_ was not expecting any of this and even if she had, she'd have thought their arms would at least be switched. No. No. Okay, so Rudolf was being ' _considerate_ ', just resting his arms on her shoulders which left little choice for Eva. That's all it was...Who was she kidding?! This was anything _BUT_ expected! She was stuck between two drunks, and not just any drunks, but _EVA_ and _RUDOLF_. ...Well, _one_ of them was drunk, but the other was buzzed so it didn't make much difference. The point was, she didn't really know how to react.

"H-hey...You two...ah..." she fumbled her words weakly, but neither of them seemed to understand her message. Rudolf gulped the rest of his glass down before slamming it on the table,

"Alright!~ First game! First game!~ Do you know what 'playing with words' is, Natsuhi-neesan?" his arm tugged her closer to him.

"Eh...Ah...No..." she had her arms hunched up over her chest as she lightly bit her finger.

"Oh~? It's simple: You just take certain parts or letters out of a phrase to reveal it's true meaning. For example," He brushed her hair behind her ear to whisper, "What do you get if you take the e's and r's out of 'sucker merry barrels'?" She flinched at the feeling of his hot breath on her ear and her shoulders rose up to separate his mouth from her. Eva reached across her to smack him but did no real damage,

"You idiot!~ Haa, this one's way better! Natsuhi-neesan!" Just as Rudolf had, Eva grabbed her hair to tuck it behind her opposite ear and whispered with hot breath, "What do you get when you take the ka's out of 'karubkamycrotkatch'?" Again, all Natsuhi could register was the hotness on her ear. She whimpered a bit, trying to scoot away from her only to press more into Rudolf. Eva followed suit and leaned even closer.

"Hey, Aneki." Rudolf chuckled, "Look at how red Natsuhi-neesan's ears are."

"Hoh, you're right~ They're the same shade as her face~ Nee, Natsuhi-neesan, you're ears must be pretty sensitive, huh~?" She reached up to grab her ear and slowly rubbed her thumb around it. Natsuhi gasped sharply and slapped her hand away before covering her ear with her own. "... _Very_ sensitive then..." Eva smirked as her eyelids dropped a bit.

"Enough!" The sudden exclamation caused both of them to release her. Panting heavily, all she could hear was the loud music, but she felt like her heartbeat was loud enough to be heard by them. Maybe even more. All she knew was that it took her a few moments to get her breathing back to semi-normal. That was getting way too out of hand, and Natsuhi couldn't let them continue however they pleased. Who knew where that would get her. Needless to say, she probably wasn't going to crack the two riddles the two had proposed, not that she wanted to. In fact, she had a feeling it would be better not to.

"...Please...Can we go back to the hotel now...?"

No one spoke for a few moments until Rudolf answered in a joking manner, "Yeah, it would be better if we went back to the hotel to finish this~ Hehe." Natsuhi shot him a look that told him she was serious. Being the much more sober of the two, he held up his hands in mock surrender, "Alright, alright. It is getting kind of late, and Aniki is still expecting a call, right? Aneki, don't be greedy. You've had your fun with drinking for the night." He slid out of the booth and rested a hand in his pocket. Natsuhi quickly took the chance to escape that terrifying seat as well. While Eva pouted at being told they were leaving, she also got up, though she stumbled for a couple of steps.

"Fiiine." she drew the word out, emphasizing how displeased she was, "We can go back, but I'm not done drinking. Rudolf. Buy some drinks to go."

Natsuhi stared at her in disbelief. Was she serious? When she was already this messed up? While she expected Rudolf to give in to her commands, she was surprised when he grabbed his sister's wrist and started dragging her toward the exit,

"If you really still wanna drink alcohol, the hotel is sure to have some."

"Nn...! ...Tch! Fine! But I can walk by myself! Let me go!" she fought for him to release her wrist but stumbled and fell when he did. While a few people around them laughed, Rudolf just shook his head,

"Really, Aneki. Am I'm going to have to carry you?"

"I can carry myself!"

That headache was still there.

* * *

( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)  
...If you don't want it, put your foot down and say "no".


	4. Chapter 4

So that's why her hair is two different shades.

* * *

Somehow—after various stops because of Eva falling, almost getting hit by a car, and trying to start a fight with someone to show off her martial arts, as well as Rudolf stopping to chat up every young woman they came across—they had finally made it back to the hotel. Natsuhi didn't even care as Eva almost demanded alcohol as soon as they entered the place. She just kept walking, hoping Rudolf would drag his sister along. Luckily, he did manage to get her away from the poor person standing at the counter.

"And you thought _I_ was going to be the embarrassment." he laughed. Any words after that didn't reach Natsuhi's ears, though she was sure it was just them arguing.

When they reached the doors to their rooms, a tired sigh escaped her lips. ' _Please don't let this be impossibly difficult._ ' She turned to Eva, who was leaning against the wall. She was about to ask for the keys, but she stopped when she saw them being held out for her. Rudolf offered her a grin, but she didn't return it,

"...You took the keys from her?"

"I don't know, these keys just so happened to be floating in mid air." he replied sarcastically. She sighed yet again,

"...Why couldn't you just get them for me before?"

"And miss out on the fun night we all had together? Come on, Natsuhi-neesan."

She glared. ' _Fun_ '? In that case, she never wanted to have ' _fun_ ' again. She held her head in one hand and took the keys with the other. After unlocking the door, Rudolf helped Eva in and it was only then that a certain fact dawned on her for the second time that day: She was sharing a room with Eva. The difference this time was that she'd be sharing one with a _drunk_ Eva. That's when she thought of something that could work, but it would require Rudolf's cooperation. She stepped in, the door closing behind her. She was about to talk to him, but he was dialing a number on the phone.

"Ahh, Genj-!" he made a pained noise and suddenly held the phone away from his ear. When he brought it back, it was obvious who was on the other side of the line, "Oh, hey, Anik. ...What? ...Oh, you called numerous time? Haha, sorry sorry. We were out a bit later than we thought we'd be. Yeah, yeah. She's fine." He glanced back at Natsuhi before saying something else.

While Natsuhi was listening to the one side of the conversation, she didn't realize when Eva had gotten up from her bed. She almost yelped when she felt arms wrap around her waist from behind. ' _SERIOUSLY?!_ ' She turned her head, only to blush when she was met with Eva's face because the woman was resting her own head on her shoulder. Quickly turning back away, Natsuhi called out in a whisper, loud enough for the people in the room to hear, but low enough so it wouldn't travel through the phone,

"R-Rudolf-san!"

He turned around, phone still to his ear. He grinned almost immediately as his eyes settled on the two. Rather than rushing to her aid, however, he continued talking into the receiver,

"No, Aniki. ...Yeah, I _promise~_ Besides, I don't think _I'm_ the one you need to be worrying about." he glanced at his sister, "...No, that's not what I mean...Don't worry about her. No men have tried to make any moves on her. ...Aww, you caught me. Anyway, we're all pretty tired. Natsuhi-neesan's knocked out right now, so she can't speak right now. ...Of course I'm going to my own room. Honestly..." He hung up the phone, though it seemed obvious that Krauss hadn't been done talking. Looking at the two, he laughed, "Enjoying yourselves, ladies?"

Natsuhi swore if there were ever a time she wanted to punch someone...

"Rudolf-san, **PLEASE**." Her voice was desperate. He chuckled and walked over to pry Eva off of her,

"Come on, Aneki. Let's get you to bed." She weakly flailed her arms as she was pulled off,

"What the hell, Rudolf? I _WAS_ in bed! Until you pulled me off!"

Natsuhi blushed as she realized she, apparently, was the bed. Could her headache get any worse?

"No, you were just confused about that."

"Don't tell me what I am or am not confused about! How about I kick you right in the-"

"I'm leaving now, alright?" He held his hands up and quickly stepped away, heading for the door. Her chance was slipping away.

"Wait, Rudolf-san!" Natsuhi called as she chased after him.

"What up, Natsuhi-neesan? Don't worry; she'll pass out soon enough."

"Ah, yes... I'm sure of that, but do you think maybe...um..." She took a breath and just came out and asked, "...Would you be willing to sleep in here and let me stay in your room for the night?"

He looked surprised. However, he shot down her request,

"Sorry, Natsuhi-neesan, but Aneki would kill me if she woke up to me in the room with her. Besides, I really don't want to deal with her first thing in the morning when she's suffering from a hangover. Nor do I want to deal with her anymore tonight."

"And you think I **DO**?!" She shot back. Honestly, could the two **BE** anymore inconsiderate?

"Ahaha. No, no. Of course not. But I do have a date I'm supposed to be meeting up with soon, so-"

"Are you serious?!"

"Very. Now, I've got to go. Play nice, you two~" he jet, not waiting to be called back. Frustrated and tired, the option to try calling Krauss again didn't even dawn on her. She turned around and was pleased to see that Eva hadn't moved from where she was sprawled out on the bed.

Natsuhi sighed and went to sit on her own bed. Maybe Eva had already passed out. But, of course, that would be too good to be true, for she suddenly sat up. Natsuhi braced herself for anything, but was dumbfounded when Eva just picked up the phone and started dialing a number.

"...Eva-san...? Who are you-"

"Shh!" Eva motioned for her to be quiet before speaking into the phone, "Yes, I would like some alcohol sent to room...uh...what room number is this...? ...Just send it to the room under Ushiromiya Eva's name~ No, I don't really care what you bring. Just fuck me up." Before she could get another word out, Natsuhi yanked the phone from her and slammed it down to hang it up. "He~y, I wasn't done with thaat."

"You're getting _MORE_ alcohol?!"

"Did you not hear me on the phone?"

Natushi's face twisted in rage, "You don't need anymore!"

"They sure are taking their sweet time bringing it here..." Eva muttered, completely ignoring the words of the person in front of her.

"Wha-! You _JUST_ called them! What do you expect?! Them to drop everything they're doing to-!" There was a knock on the door.

"Wow~ That was fast service!~" Eva smiled and pranced over to the door to open it. The person held out a couple fancy bottles, bowing politely,

"Since it was a member of the Ushiromiya family who called, we dropped everything we were doing to bring these to you. I do hope you enjoy."

"Thank yo~u!" Eva accepted them and shut the door. She headed back to her bed and sat down.

...So, this was really happening, right now. This was real life. Natsuhi pinched the bridge of her nose, trying to suppress the ever growing pain in her head. She got the feeling she wasn't going to get much sleep that night. Nonetheless, she was exhausted both mentally and physically, so she threw away her pride and spoke in a slightly begging manner,

"...Eva-san...Please, stop drinking... Let's just go to sleep." But she already knew it was too late to reason with her, for she already had one bottle open and was taking a sip from it. After she removed the bottle from her mouth, Eva stared at Natsuhi with glazed eyes. She blinked a couple of times to try and clear her vision. All she saw was a glare aimed in her direction. She smirked,

"Nee, Natushi-neesan~~ That's a scary face. Why don't you relax, and drink with me?" she held the bottle out, expecting her offer to be accepted. Natsuhi was exasperated,

"Absolutely not! This is such despicable behavior!"

"Come on, Nappi~ Just one sip?"

"N-Nappi?!" she was caught off guard by the sudden pet name and felt her face heat up with embarrassment on top of closed her eyes and willed herself to calm down again... It wasn't really working. "Eva-san. I am not drinking with you."

"Not even one sip?"

" **NOT EVEN ONE SIP!** " How much medicine had she taken that day? Certainly not enough. Eva's mood was finally starting to sour as well,

"Tch. How boring. I bet if you weren't married to Nii-san, you wouldn't feel so inclined to not have a good time."

"What?"

"You're such a good, little girl, aren't you? Have to play the role of a ' _proper wife_ '. Won't let yourself do anything even remotely inappropriate. You just won't let yourself have a good time. You won't even have one sip of alcohol."

"W-! I can let myself have a good time! I don't need anyone's permission!"

"Then have a sip!"

"No!"

She wouldn't give in to peer pressure.

"Come on, Nappi."

"Stop calling me that!"

She wouldn't...

"Prove me wrong. It's just _one_ sip."

" **FINE!** "

She snatched the bottle and brought it to her lips before her mind could catch up to tell her to stop. She ignored Eva's teasing comment of calling her "aggressive" and poured some of the liquid into her mouth, but since she had done it so roughly, she ended up drinking quite a bit more than just "one sip". The adrenaline rush having calmed down, she removed the bottle slowly. Though she should have been looking Eva in the eye triumphantly, she avoided her gaze. They both knew who had really won, and while she hated to admit it, the drink had tasted pretty good...

"Wow, Natsuhi-neesan~ So, I guess you _can_ prove me wrong." Eva clapped, looking incredibly stupid. Satisfied with getting her way, she held out her hand to retrieve the bottle, "Alright~ That'll be enough~! You can give it back to me now." Natsuhi didn't give it back though, and instead she just kept staring at the ground. She had an expression on her face that made it look like she was torn about something. After a few more moments, she sighed and brought the bottle back to her mouth. After another sip, she looked at a smug Eva.

"...I'm just having a little bit...Then I want to go to sleep. You too, Eva-san." She kept the bottle out of reach until the other would agree.

"Okay!~ Just a little bit!" Eva gleamed as she shot up and tackled an unprepared Natsuhi onto the other bed only to roll off and sit back up. Natsuhi sat up as well, face red,

"...If you keep acting like that, I won't drink."

"Ye~s"

After a while, Eva was still as giddy as ever and Natushi, herself, was feeling the effects of the drink. She hadn't even had that much, but she did remember what Eva had said on the phone when she told them to bring her alcohol. ...So, it must've been pretty strong. She wasn't drunk, but she definitely didn't feel quite like herself. To say the least, she felt pretty... relaxed.

"I told you drinking with me wold be fun~" Eva laughed, casually resting her arm around the other woman's shoulders.

"No, you didn't. ...Did you? I don't remember..." Her memory was a little hazy. She brought her hand up to her head to try and clear it up. Eva seemed to think the gesture was because of something else though,

"...Do you have a headache?"

Surprised, Natsuhi murmured, "Oh, well... I mean yes. I've had one all day, actually." Eva grinned before grabbing her head, surprising her even more,

"I'm sorry~ Rudolf and I probably didn't help it much, did we?" She giggled before brushing Natsuhi's bangs out of the way and pressing her lips to her forehead. That resulted in Natsuhi's face catching on fire,

"H-Hey...You don't have to do that..." she leaned away, but was still held by the arm around her.

"I guess not, but I wanted to~ You're so cute when you blush." She laughed before quieting down. Her eyes grew softer as she let out small breaths, the smell of alcohol still present, "...You're so cute...So...pretty. ...You're so pretty, Natsuhi-neesan."

"E...Eh...?" Well, this was unexpected. Even in her intoxicated state, Natsuhi understood how strange this all was. the strangeness of it all only progressed as Eva began running her fingers through her hair,

"Your hair is so nice, too~ But, it would be even nicer if you did something with it."

"R-really?" Natsuhi laughed nervously, "Well, what do you supposed I should do with it then...?"

Eva almost beamed at the implication of those words, "Ah... So you'll consider my idea?"

"Eh? Well, I mean... That's not..." Her voice faded. She didn't know why she was about to say the next word on her mind. She was sure it was because of the alcohol; that was the only logical explanation. She'd never agree otherwise. Regret was sure to wash over her in the morning from whatever was still to come of the night. Despite all that, she simply smiled and said, "...Sure."

—

"Rudolff~~ Get out here!" Eva pounded on his door, Natsuhi behind her. A few seconds later, Rudolf came out and looked at both of them. Despite the lights in his room being out, he looked wide awake and grinned,

"Yo, Aneki~ Natsuhi-neesan~ What's up?" he stepped out, shutting the door behind him. Even though neither of them commented, they were sure someone else was in the room, probably sleeping by then.

"We're taking Natsuhi-neesan out to get something for her hair~ So, come on."

"Oh~? Are you still drinking? Haven't you had enough fun for one night?"

Though he seemed to be lecturing them, it was evident he'd still been drinking too.

"You're one to talk, Rudolf~ Don't think we don't know about that nice friend you have in there~"

Rudolf just laughed, "My 'nice friend' is asleep now, but I'm still wide awake, so I guess it would be nice to get out and do one more thing." He looked to Natsuhi with an eyebrow raised, "...But what I'm surprised about it _you_ , Natsuhi-neesan. You look a bit flushed. ...Have you been drinking as well~? Well, I suppose that is the only way you'd be here, agreeing to go out with us this late~"

Natsuhi just smiled briefly. Yeah, that probably was the only reason why. Or maybe behind all that, she was simply letting herself have a good time. It was crazy, but in retrospect, maybe the time spent with them hadn't been so horrible after all. ...That alcohol really _was_ affecting her.

—

"N-Natsuhi!?" Krauss' voice rang throughout the mansion. "What happened to your hair!?" Rudolf and Eva were dying of laughter as the person in question fidgeted, trying to find an explanation to give her husband.

"Well, um... I don't remember all the details but-"

"' **DON'T REMEMBER** '?" Krauss nearly shrieked, "Did they **DRUG** you!?" He wasn't angry at _her_ , but because of his tone and his words being directed towards her, it seemed like he was. In actuality, he was just overreacting.

"Relax, Nii-san~" Eva cut in, "So her hair has a little bit of dye in it. What's the big deal?"

Krauss shot her a look. He was infuriated, "A ' **LITTLE** ' !? **That is not a little!** **That is half her hair!** " He pointed to emphasize.

"Calm down, Aniki. It's just dye. It'll fade out." Rudolf laughed, though he wore a smug expression. He knew what was about to come next, and Natsuhi had to brace herself. Eva giggled and immediately shot down any hopes that their older brother may have had,

"Except that we bought a lifetime supply of it. No refunds and you can't resell them. Oh, and we used your credit card. Really, Nii-san~ The fact that you didn't notice we took it is proof enough that you're not fit to be the future Head~"

"You did **WHAT?!** " He pulled out his wallet and his face paled when he didn't see what he was looking for. The two younger siblings continued to laugh while Natsuhi stood there awkwardly.

"Since you're stuck with them she may as well use them, riight?"

"We had such a good time yesterday, Aniki. You should consider coming next time."

"There will be no ' _next time_ '! You two are never allowed to take my wife out again! Natsuhi! These two are trying to corrupt you! Pack your bags! We're taking a trip with each other!"

"Your debt's going to skyrocket if you do that, Nii-san. And what about helping Father?"

"Yeah. Why not just let us take her out again?"

" **ABSOLUTELY NOT!** "

Amongst the fighting of the three siblings, Natsuhi stood quietly, observing them. Despite all the yelling the day before and now, she decided she didn't regret going with them. She had certainly learned a lot about the two of them, and maybe they had figured out a few things about her. She smiled to herself. Though she may never admit it aloud, the time spent with them actually hadn't been as terrible as she thought. She may have hated it at the time, but looking back on it, she was glad she'd said yes. ...And she personally kind of liked the new color in her hair, so she was secretly happy they'd bought enough of it to last for years. Of course, that, too, was a fact she'd never let them have the pleasure of learning.

* * *

And that concludes these three's interesting night out with each other. I literally just planned on the club and hair parts, but it got away from me and turned into this long piece of work -_-; I know the characters' colors and whatnot were all just "artistic choices", but I still picture them the way they're presented ;P And people are always being like, "Why Natsuhi's hair like that?" (most easy to tell in the original PC sprites), so I worked in what could be one of the many possibilities ;D Also, did you all finally get the pun of the title?.3.


End file.
